The Assassin's Shadow
by Silverkitsune3
Summary: Chapter Seven uploaded. Kenji can't rid himself of Bakuryu, or the nightmares that plague him. When Busuzima offers to destroy Bakuryu completely, will Kenji take the chance?
1. Prolouge

I was playing BR 3 and had the sudden urge to write a fic on it. This will be a Keniko, because I love them and there aren't enough Keniko fanfics out there. So, for everyone who loves Mole-boy and Catgirl as much as me, enjoy.....

I don't own Bloody Roar.

Prolouge

They faced each other in the shadows of an abandoned warehouse. Both were wary, not knowing what the other would do. It had been years since they last saw each other, under very different circumstances. Back then, it had been master and servant, creator and slave. The silent young man in the dark ninja suit had always been dangerous and lethal, fufilling his missions with the cold efficiancy of a machine, the perfect weapon in the right hands. But, now, he was even more deadly; now, he was AWARE, and the fury shining from those steel gray orbs was more disturbing than all the nights when Bakuryu returned from a mission completely drenched in blood, his eyes as blank as a robot.

Busuzima smiled. He'd heard his perfect assassin was calling himself Kenji Ohgami now, but that changed nothing. He was still Bakuryu, no matter how much the boy wanted to deny it.

"Why did you call me here?" the mole zoenthrope demanded. His voice had changed, too. Deeper now, more mature. The boy would be seventeen in a few days, almost a man, yet he could still detect a hint of the old Bakuryu in his voice. "I swear, Busuzima, if you're back to bother me or my friends, I'll tear you to pieces right now."

"Wouldn't dream of it, my boy," Busuzima countered with a careless grin, though he didn't doubt the ninja's statement. When it had been just the two of them, Busuzima could do anything he wanted to the boy without raising so much as a peep of protest. But now, it was different. Bakuryu had found himself a family, something Busuzima dreaded would happen. It meant unwanted attatchments. Even though the boy cared little for his welfare, Busuzima could see him fighting like a demon to protect his friends. How irritating. He would have to proceed very carefully from now on. "I just wanted to drop by to see how my little experiment was doing," he continued, feeling the situation out. Folding his long arms across his chest, he gave the boy a wide smirk. "So, how's family life these days, Bakuryu? Still living with the wolf-man?"

"Don't call me that!" Bakuryu snapped, exactly the reaction Busuzima was hoping for. "I have another name. Bakuryu is not a part of my life."

"Kenji, my dear boy," Busuzima smiled, a very chilling smile, "Bakuryu will ALWAYS be a part of your life."

The boy stared at him coldly, eyes glittering, every inch the assassin Busuzima raised him to be. The scientist felt a sudden flare of pride. "You've seen what you came for," Bakuryu said in a voice devoid of emotion, and crouched to leap up into the shadows. "This conversation is over."

"You've been having hallucinations lately, haven't you?" Basuzima called out, before the ninja could pull his vanishing-in-a-puff-of-smoke act. He saw Bakuryu pause, then glance up at him startled, and knew he had hit a nerve. "Hallucinations, nightmares, violent mood swings....go ahead and stop me if I'm wrong." He grinned at the ninja, knowing he wasn't wrong, knowing Bakuryu had to be listening. He saw him hesitate, then slowly straighten again.

"What do you know about it?" he asked reluctantly.

"I know everything about my creaton," Busuzima grinned. "You see, Kenji Ohgami, this false name and identity you've taken for yourself won't protect you, or your friends, from Bakuryu much longer. He is too much a part of you, even though you deny it. He is fighting for control, and he is MUCH stronger than you realize. Because Bakuryu IS your true self. He's you, even though you deny it."

"That's not true!"

"Why then, does he keep haunting you?" the scientiest pressed. "You know the truth, boy! Kenji Ohgami is the fake, the mask, the lie that Bakuryu is fighting to overcome."

"Shut up!"

"You can't hold out forever, boy," Busuzima said in a near whisper, watching his creation stagger back, clutching his head like he was afraid it would explode. "You're not strong enough to destroy him once and for all." He smiled inwardly, and closed the trap. "But, I can."

Well, there's the prolouge. Chapter one will be up soon. Like I said, I just had the urge to write a Bloody Roar fic, so I'm not expecting reviews, though reviews are always appreciated.

Arigato,

Silverkitsune


	2. The face in the mirror

Oops, I forgot the disclaimer last time. I don't own Bloody Roar! Phew! Call off the lawyers. Everything's good now. Except, of course, that I don't own sweet little Kenji. Though he wouldn't be sweet for long after I got a hold of him. Oops, did I say that outloud? Ahem.

On with the story.

The Assassin's Shadow

Chapter One: The face in the mirror

It had not been a good day for Kenji Ohgami.

After the meeting with Busuzima, Kenji had fled back home, dropping through the second story window so he wouldn't wake Yugo and Alice in the room downstairs. ( Uriko was staying at a friend's house for the weekend. ) Peeling off his ninja garb, he changed into his old sweatpants and stuffed the suit into his hamper so he wouldn't have to look at it. Flopping on his bed, he covered his face with the pillow and tried to forget everything his former master had told him.

But, he couldn't sleep.

"Bakuryu is gone," he whispered to the ceiling. The cracks in the tile seemed to grin at him, mocking. "That part of my life is over. He is not a part of me anymore."

_That's a lie, and you know it._

Kenji shivered at the cold, familiar voice and buried his face in the pillow. But, he couldn't hide from something in his own head. Briefly, he wondered if it was just his troubled memory playing tricks on him, or if it really was the voice of his past self, rising from the darkest corner of his soul torment him, again.

_You know perfectly well that its me, Kenji Ohgami. _

Kenji hopped out of bed, turned on the light, and flipped open a science book. He'd done his homework hours ago, and it had been thoroughly proofread by Yugo--who still insisted on doing older brotherly things like that--but the teenager double-checked it for accuracy and mistakes anyway, just to keep his fractured mind occupied.

It was a long night.

The day didn't get any better from there. The next morning he was exhausted and pensive, and at breakfast Yugo mentioned that maybe he should stay home from school, as he looked kinda sickly. That was fine with Kenji; he didn't feel like being around anyone at the moment, especially normal people with their normal lives, reminding him that he would be forever different. He also knew that a certain bouncy classmate would see that something was troubling him, and he didn't want to talk about it. Anyone else would think he was behaving in a perfectly Kenji-like fashion, but Uriko had an uncanny sense for picking up on his innermost thoughts and feelings. And though Kenji was truly grateful that Uriko knew him so well, bothering to probe beneath that cold, aloof exterior where others would've given up, he wasn't ready to share this newest revelation with his girlfriend.

'Because, what if she probes too far and discovers the monster still inside me?' he thought later that afternoon, lying on his bed attempting to sleep; a futile effort. All he had succeeded in doing was thinking himself into an even worse state. 'What if Bakuryu _is_ still in there, and comes out one night and does something to hurt her? What if...what if he _kills_ her? Or Yugo? Oh god, what if I kill Riko and my brother with my own hands?'

Fortuanately, a knock on his door interrupted him before he could think himself into a panic. "Yo, Kenji, you awake man?" came Yugo's deep, booming voice. The man could not speak softly, even if his life depended on it. "Your girlfriends' on the phone."

His voice was teasing, and Kenji winced. He did not want to talk to anyone now, even Uriko. 'I'm sorry, Riko. But I can't face even you right now.' Turning away from the door, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep until he heard his brother walk away, explaining to the person on the phone that he was still in bed. Then he heard the front door slam as his brother left the house. Leaving him with his thoughts. Alone...

_You were always meant to be alone._

Kenji sat up. Walking over to the mirror in the corner, he glared at his reflection in the polished glass. A evil doppleganger stared back at him, smiling a cold smirk, a malicious, predatory gleam in his eyes.

_Who do you think you're fooling?_ shadow Kenji--no, _Bakuryu,_ this could only be Bakuryu, asked. Kenji felt a chill run down his back as he heard his own voice in his head, yet colder and more inhuman than he could have imagined. _Pretending to have a nice little house and family and girlfriend. Pathetic. You've gotten attatched. You know this will only end in blood, and you still allowed yourself to become attatched. _

"This is my family, now," Kenji said, baring his teeth in a silent snarl. "I am no longer Bakuryu the assassin. That part of my life is over."

_You cannot deny your true nature, _Bakuryu replied calmly._ We were meant to destroy. Home, family, love; these are for normal people, whose hands are not stained with blood and and innocent lives. They can never be ours. _

"You don't control me," Kenji spat, a coil of hatred beginning to stir from a dark corner of his heart. "I will not let you hurt my family anymore. I'll fight you for the rest of my life before I let that happen."

_Fool._ Bakuryu narrowed his eyes. _You speak as though I am the illusion and you are real. Listen to me closly, Kenji Ohgami. _You _are the fake, the intruder, the shadow of me. This body we share is MINE. Kenji Ohgami doesn't exist. It is only a name, given to a boy who remembered nothing, not even how he came to be. _

"Liar," Kenji hissed, feeling the cold chill spread to every part of his body. "I was brainwashed by Busuzima. I didn't know what I was doing."

_No. _Bakuryu's face was a mask of stone. _That second time, Busuzima only helped you remember who you were all along. Kenji Ohgami might have been brainwashed, but Bakuryu knew what he was doing from the very start._

"Shut up." Kenji's hand clenched into a fist.

_I will reclaim my body soon, Kenji. Then, everyone around you will suffer for your transgressions._

"Shut up!" Kenji's fist smashed into the mirror, and the glass shattered into a thousand pieces. The noise was deafening, and Bakuryu's grinning face disappeared into shards of fragmented light.

Shaking with rage and fear, Kenji looked down at the broken mirror, seeing hundreds of cold gray eyes staring at him from the floor. Blood dripped from his sliced fist onto the glass and carpet, but he didn't notice. For one insane moment, he had a ridiculous image of a tiny Bakuryu army, creeping from under his bed to swarm him in his sleep. But then, he blinked, and the fractured faces in the mirror were his own again.

_Soon, Kenji...._an evil voice whispered, fading away. _Soon...._

"No," he whispered back. "Never. I'll never let you hurt my family. If it comes to that, I'll..."

He trailed off, thinking back to that night in Busuzima's lab, where he had turned on his master and set fire to everything, hoping to erase all evidence of the scientist's evil. Including himself. But, Gado had rescued him before he could end Bakuryu's reign of terror, and Kenji had spent his entire life working hard to repay him, and the people he owed his life to. Not just his life. His heart, and his soul; two things he was sure Bakuryu had destroyed with his evil. First Yugo, and then Uriko had come along, shining a little light into his dark existence, encouraging him to keep going, to try to make himself better than he was. He was eternally grateful to them both, and if keeping them safe and happy meant ending his own life, he would do so in a heartbeat.

If he didn't know that Uriko would cry. And Yugo would never forgive himself....

Sighing, he lowered his arm. Everything was so complicated now.

He winced, looking down at his mangled hand, beginning to feel the pain now that he actually saw the injury. Which was fairly serious, as he'd struck the mirror with enough force to shatter someone's nose through their skull. His fingers had deep lacerations, probably down to the bone, and slivers of glass were poking out of his skin like a hedgehog on crack. His zoanthrope metabolism would heal the injury in no time, with not even a scar to show for it, but the wound still needed looking after.

Cradling his wrist, he was heading to the bathroom, when he heard the front door slam. Kenji looked back to his bedroom and winced.

'Great. Yugo is not going to be happy about that mirror,' he thought with a sudden stab of guilt. 'What can I say that sounds believable?'

He quickly slipped into the bathroom and began running the water, knowing he couldn't hide the fact that there were blood droplets all the way down the hallway from his room. 'Quick, Kenji, think of an excuse to why you punched your mirror into oblivion. "Yeah, Yugo, Bakuryu was pissing me off so I smashed his face in," is NOT going to cut it.'

"Kenji? You in here?"

Kenji, in the middle of looking for a pair of tweezers, froze. It wasn't Yugo, after all, he realized, as his heart began a loud, irregular rythem.

It was Uriko.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wow, I actually got reviews! I'm so happy people still read BR fics after all this time. Well, I shall endevor to keep everyone happy and continue. Thanks to Tiger( some impossible number here ) and everyone who read this and took the time to comment. I'm so happy. Well, gotta start on chapter two, now.

Ja,

Sylverkitsune


	3. Fragments of Memory

Don't own BR. Never have; never will. ( sob )

The Assassin's Shadow

Chapter Two: Fragments of memory

"Keeeeeeeeennnnnjjjjiiiii? Are you heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere? Are you awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake?"

_Well, if he wasn't before,_ Uriko Nonomura thought with a slight, embarrassed giggle, _he's sure to be now. Hope he's not in one of those contemplative moods again. Maybe that's why Yugo told me to come bug him for a little while. Oh well, if he's cranky, I'll just blame it all on Yugo._

"Kenji!" she called, taking the stairs two at a time. There was no answer, which was weird. She couldn't ever remember Kenji staying in bed till mid-afternoon. Even as hyperactive as she could be sometimes, weekends and holidays meant sleeping in till noon and lazing around in her pajamas, like every normal teenager. Not so with Kenji. He'd finally learned not to call her before noon on weekends, after being snarled at several times for waking her up, usually at some ungodly hour like seven or eight in the morning. The boy simply did not sleep. "Kenji Ohgami!" she yelled outside the door to his room, feeling a malicious glee now that the shoe was on the other foot. "Its way too late in the afternoon to be asleep! And since you weren't at school today, I thought I'd be thoughtful and bring you all your homewo..."

She stopped, frozen, her stomach doing an unpleasant backflip when she saw the state of his room; specifically, the shattered mirror, and the vivid trail of blood leading down the hall towards the bathroom.

"Kenji!"

Charging wildly down the corridor, she tried to make sense of the situation. It _looked_ like Kenji had punched the mirror in a state of rage, but Uriko had never, never seen him lose his temper in that way. Kenji's anger, when it appeared, was a cold, silent killer, as the quiet teenager disappeared to give way to the ninja assassin he once was. _She_ might throw a tantrum and pound her walls and pillows in a childish rage, and there was a suspicious hole in the Ohgami kitchen that might have been from a Yugo sized fist, but for Kenji to lose his temper and smash in his mirror was mind-boggling.

The sound of running water was coming from inside the bathroom, but when the young girl tried the door, she found it was locked.

"Kenji!" she yelled again, pounding on the wooden barrier. "Kenji! Are you in there? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Uriko," came Kenji's calm, even voice from the other side. Any relief she might have felt, however, instantly vanished at the sound of breaking glass and a quiet curse. "Go back downstairs, Riko," the voice muttered. "I'll be out in a minute, okay?"

"Kenji Ohgami, you open up this door before I rip it off its hinges!" Uriko bellowed, beginning her frantic pounding again. The door stayed firmly shut, and she raised her voice. "Don't think I won't do it, Kenji! If Yugo comes home and asks me why there is a door sitting in the middle of the living room, I'm going to tell him I thought you were trying to slit your wrists again!"

She had actually begun the transformation to her cat-beast mode, intending to sink her claws into the flimsy barrier and find out what the hell Kenji was doing, when the door abruptly whooshed open and she found herself staring into the exasperated gray eyes of her boyfriend.

"Oh. There you are." Uriko tried to cover up her embarassment, quickly hiding her claws behind her back. Kenji's expression didn't change, but at that moment, Uriko noticed his hand and gasped, her paws flying to her mouth.

"Oh, my god, Kenji! What did you do?"

Her boyfriend winced. "Something really stupid; don't tell Yugo, okay?"

"Oh, for goodness--sit down," Uriko continued, pushing him back into the bathroom and plunking him down on the toilet seat. The room was a complete mess. Blood was everywhere; spattered on the sink, the toilet, the bathtub, even the walls where he had fumbled for the light. A red soaked towel lay on the counter, a pair of tweezers beside it where Kenji had been trying to pull glass shards from his skin. Adding to the mess was a shattered bottle of rubbing alcohal on the floor, and the smell of it made her eyes water.

Kenji gazed at her mournfully as she snatched up the tweezers and fished under the sink for a new towel. "Really made a mess of things, didn't I?"

Uriko huffed and turned on him, her slender hands on her hips. She intended to give him a scolding, but he was sitting there so dejectedly, cradling his mangled hand and looking much like a chastised puppy, that she couldn't be harsh with him. "You can tell me what happened later," she sighed, sitting on the edge of the tub, careful not to step on any broken glass or sit in any bloodstains. "Here, let me see that hand."

For the next few minutes, silence reigned as Uriko carefully plucked slivers of glass from Kenji's hand, trying not to wince at the gruesomeness of the task. Kenji did not flinch or make a sound through the long, torturous process, not even when a grimacing Uriko retrieved what little alcohal remained in the broken bottle and poured it over his wounds. Binding his hand with a long strip of gauze, she was forced to wrap all his fingers together, so that it looked like he was wearing a white oven mitt when she was done.

"Well, you won't be playing softball for awhile, but that should do it," she finished, tying off the guaze and throwing the bloody rags in the garbage can. Kenji examined her work critically. Only his thumb stuck out of the white bandages, and he wiggled it experimentaly.

"I won't be able to write for awhile, either," he said in a curiously cheerful voice. Uriko glanced down, and he gave her a faint grin. "Looks like you'll have to do all my homework for me now, Riko."

"Oh, ha ha. In your dreams, Mole-boy." The immediate catastrophy resolved, she started on the minor one; namely, getting the bathroom looking like a bathroom again and less like a war zone. "Besides," she stated as she went to work on a nasty looking clot, "I happen to know that you're perfectly literate with both hands, so that line isn't going to get you anywhere." Kenji watched her for a moment, then pushed himself off the toilet seat.

"Here," he said gently, as she began to wipe the blood from the sink, and the tub, and the walls. "I should get that, Riko. You've done enough already."

She slapped his good hand away. "If you want to be helpful, Mr. Ohgami, I would worry about getting those icky bloodstains out of the carpet," she told him firmly, continuing her task. "Unless you want Yugo to come home and think you've been killing chickens or something."

Kenji blanched. "Good point," he confessed, and scurried out of the bathroom.

For the better part of the evening, Kenji and Uriko worked in unison, trying to erase all signs of Kenji's "accident" before Yugo returned home. Uriko polished the bathroom until it sparkled, while Kenji scrubbed the carpet free of all telltale red stains. Then, together, they picked up the broken mirror shards and dumped them, as well as the mirror itself, into the dumpster down the road. Finally, it was done, and they both collapsed on the couch in front of the television, tired, sweaty, and relieved that it was over.

Kenji raked his good hand through his damp hair, letting his head fall back on the armrest with a groan. Uriko lounged on the other end, cracking open a soda and swigging half the can in one gulp.

"God, that was more cleaning than I've done in a year," Uriko sighed, passing the can to Kenji, who finished the rest and crunched the can in his fist. "I don't think my room has ever looked as good as your bathroom does right now. I mean, you can see your reflection in the toilet seat."

"Thanks, Riko," Kenji murmured, raising his head to gaze at her fondly. "Sorry about the sucky afternoon. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Kenji, what _happened_ today? Its not like you to go punching innatimate objects. That's Yugo's job."

Kenji's eyes immediately became haunted, and he glanced away. "Nothing," he murmured, in a barely audible voice. "A bad dream."

"You are such a bad liar, Kenji Ohgami." Uriko sat up and glared at him. He wouldn't meet her gaze. "Come on, Kenji; you know you can tell me anything." She scooted closer to him, and felt him tense up, which made her a little sad. "I thought we were past all these secrets."

"Uriko...."

"Why don't you trust me, Kenji?"

"I do." Kenji sounded genuinely surprised, and finally turned to look at her, his gaze intense. "I do, Riko. You're the one I trust the most, you and Yugo. I.....I just can't trust myself, is all."

Uriko's expression softened, knowing exactly what was bothering him now. _Bothering him still,_ she corrected herself. _Even after all this time. He's still worried about Bakuryu._

Kenji had his "brooding" face on now, the one where he would slip into a dark depression and nothing you could say would convince him of his own self-worth. These occasions were rarer than they used to be, but they still scared Uriko to death, reminding her of that time when Kenji's self-loathing and guilt became so intense he tried to kill himself one rainy afternoon after school. It was a couple years ago, when she and Kenji were first getting acquainted, after he'd returned from the lab with Gado. He was a quiet lone wolf; she the most popular girl in school. No one, not even herself, knew what she was thinking when she began the arduous task of befriending him. He intrigued her, she supposed. Besides being a fellow Zoanthrope and an ex-ninja assassin to boot, he was different from the silly, immature boys surrounding her in droves. Looking back, she knew she got on his nerves sometimes, following him around school and yapping at him nonstop. But, gradually, as she got to know him better, she realized that there was so much more to Kenji Ohgami than she first thought. She came to know the pain he suffered daily; the guilt eating him up inside for the lives he had taken under Busuzima's control. She saw the way he struggled to be normal; she caught glimpses of his kindness, his insecurity, and his small flashes of humor. And, by the time the semester was almost finished, she realized that she was falling in love with him.

She didn't know why she was poking around his desk that day. Maybe it was because Kenji seemed more distant and sad than usual. Maybe it was her own animal senses telling her something was wrong. He had that same "brooding" mask on the whole day, and she couldn't shake the feeling of dread in her stomach whenever she saw Kenji retreat from the world, time and again. He vanished as soon as the bell rang, and Uriko, being nosy though she didn't know why, sniffed around his desk and found a note folded neatly inside. It was in Kenji's handwriting, and reading it made her blood turn to ice.

She found him in the boy's restroom, hunched over in one of the stalls, a razor poised to slice across his wrist.

When she screamed, Kenji shot out, grabbed her, and slammed her back into the stall with him, one hand clamped over her mouth, the other at her throat. His hard gray eyes bore into hers. She would never forget how he looked that day; like she was staring Bakuryu in the face once again. She was terrified, but at least the razorblade had been dropped and was lying forgotten at her feet.

"Don't interfere, Uriko!" he hissed, and despite the terrible Bakuryu mask, she could see his eyes shining with tears. "I know what I'm doing. Its better this way, trust me."

She shook her head wildly in disagreement, clawing at the hand over her mouth. Kenji didn't relent. He was insanely strong. Keeping a firm grip on her jaw, he dragged her upright, over the toilet, and pushed her out of the stall.

"Go," he said coldly as she whirled on him. "By the time you run and get the teachers, it'll be done." He crouched to retrieve the razor, never taking his eyes from her. His gaze softened as he rose with the tool in hand. "You were a good friend, Uriko. Thank you. I'm so sorry, for everything." His voice shook, and he closed his eyes, momentarily. "Go on," he whispered, gesturing at the door with the razor. "Go tell the principal. You don't want to see this."

"I'm not leaving," Uriko replied shrilly, as her own eyes swam with tears. "Kenji, what are you doing? _Please_ don't do this! Please please--"

"I have to." Kenji's calm whisper didn't match the agony on his face. "I can't take it anymore. I can't be normal, Uriko, and I've tried so hard. You don't understand what its like--"

"You think I don't have problems?" Uriko cried, on the verge of hysteria. "That I don't know what you're going through? Look at me, Kenji Ohgami! We're the same! The _same_! You and me and Yugo and Alice; we only have each other, and we know what its like to be different. If you..." she choked on tears, and took a ragged breath to calm herself. "...if you do this, Kenji, you'll be hurting even more people, worse than before!"

"What?"

"That's right!" Uriko pointed an accusing finger at his shocked face. "Bet you didn't even think about that, did you? You'll be hurting Yugo and Mr. Gado, Alice, Master Long....and....and me!"

"I don't....I don't understand....Uriko--"

"Because they _care_ about you, stupid! Every one of them! The ones you leave behind _always _suffer the most!" She couldn't breathe for a few moments, as sobs wrenched up from her throat and made speaking impossible. Kenji just stood there, looking more lost than she ever remembered. Uriko covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

"Don't....go....Kenji...." she whispered, hiccuping with the effort. "Don't....go.....we'll miss you....so much.....I'll....miss....you...."

She jumped a foot in the air when a soft hand touched her arm. Looking up, she saw Kenji through a blur of tears, his face white and defeated. He stared at her sadly for a moment, then held out his hand, the gleaming length of the razor lying on his palm. Offering it to her. Letting her take it away from him. She picked it up gingerly, biting her lip, then threw her arms around his neck with a wail and sobbed into his chest. Kenji's arms encircled her waist as he bent his head to her shoulder, and she could feel his own tears on her neck.

With a start, Uriko wrenched herself back to the present. They were not fifteen anymore, holding onto each other desperately, in the smoke filled stall of the boy's restroom. And the young man lying beside her was no longer the tortured boy, fighting a constant, losing battle with himself. At least, not all of the time. There were times, like now, when Kenji's old past rose up to haunt him, and Uriko had to bring him back to the present. She could see that blank mask beginning to drop over his features, and acted quickly to distract him.

"Oi," she said, tapping his nose before he could slip away from her. He blinked, and his eyes focused on her again. "You worry too much, you know that? Think about something else. Like, what do you want for your birthday?"

"My.....what?"

"Birthday," Uriko repeated. "Day of birth. You know, that day when you were born. Birth. Day."

"I know, Riko," Kenji said with a wry smirk. "I just....has it been that long already?"

Uriko smiled at him sadly. "That first year, Kenji and Yugo were too busy settling him in to worry about things like birthdays and birth cetificates. Kenji had no memory of anything before, even his age, so several months went by before Alice finally stepped in. The nurse was able to determine around how old Kenji was and when his date of birth was, within the month at least. Kenji admitted that it was weird when they finally presented him with a birth cetificate. Here was proof that he was alive, he'd confessed to her later. Here was the evidence of his existence as a real human being. Uriko had gotten a little teary eyed at that, and she wasn't the only one.

"So? So?" she prodded, bouncing up and down on the couch. "I need an answer, Mole-boy. What is it you want?"

Kenji looked up at her, directly into her eyes, and smiled faintly. "I already have everything I need."

Uriko stopped bouncing. Sometimes, Kenji could render her speechless without even trying. "You....you're just trying to butter me up so I'll get you a really cool present," she joked, feeling a little out of breath at the way he was staring at her.

"Ah. Well, you caught me, there." Reaching up, Kenji snagged her wrist and gently pulled her down to him. "What if I ask for my present a little early, then?" he whispered, brushing his lips over her neck and setting loose a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

"Uhm...." Uriko murmured intellegently, closing her eyes. Kenji's hand found the back of her head, and as their lips met, she forgot everything, past and future, and surrendered completely to the present.

"Well! Looks like you're feeling better, little bro!"

The teenagers leaped apart, blushing furiously, as Yugo grinned at them from the doorway.

"Don't mind me," he chuckled, striding into the room. Uriko noticed Kenji quickly put his injured hand under a cushion. "I'm just gonna get a shower. Please, carry on." He waved at them cheerfully, enjoying their humiliation, and bounded up the stairs, taking three at a time. Uriko held her breath as he entered the bathroom, and Kenji was as still as a rock.

"What the--!"

Both teens cringed. Yugo's face popped out of the bathroom and glared at them.

"Kenji!"

Kenji winced. "Yeah?" he answered as casually as he could.

"Um, do me a favor. Run to the store and grab some toilet paper, will ya?"

Uriko felt the tension dissapate, and Kenji stood up with a barely concealed sigh of relief. "Sure, no problem."

"Thanks." And Yugo's head disappeared into the room. Uriko giggled.

"Well." Kenji shot her a sidelong glance. "Care to join me on a quest for toilet paper?"

Uriko bounced to her feet, waving an imaginary sword. "Lead on, good knight!" she cried in grandiose tones. "I will guard your back, should you have to fight an evil, firebreathing plumber with the mighty plunger of virtue, and rescue yon fair maiden of the outhouse."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "No more caffine for you."

Uriko was struck with another giggling fit and unable to reply. Giving her an odd look, Kenji started towards the door. Suddenly, he stumbled to a halt, a strange look on his face, like he was in a daze. Uriko saw him wince, then shake his head, like he was trying to clear it.

"Kenji? You okay?"

Kenji didn't answer. With growing concern, Uriko saw him sway on his feet, and put his hand on the wall as if trying to steady himself. Alarmed, Uriko started towards him, intending to grab him and lead him back to the couch, then yell for Yugo to get down here because she was frightened and couldn't deal with this herself.

She never made it. Kenji looked up at her with haunted gray eyes, made a strangled sound in the back of his throat, and collapsed.

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Wheeeeeeeeee, another chapter done. Everyone's been so nice to review; I can't thank you enough. You're the Glade candles in the stinky bathroom of life. Okay, bad analogy. Sorry, its close to four am, and I must crawl off to bed. Oyasuminasai!

SilverKitsune


	4. Hanging by a Moment

Yay, I'm back. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Love you all, wonderful people that you are. Hope you all enjoy drama, cause after re-reading this chapter, I felt like I was suffocating. Oh well. Hope you enjoy....

Chapter Three: Hanging by a Moment

Kenji groaned and opened his eyes. His head throbbed, and there was a weird, coppery taste in the back of his mouth, an eerily familiar sensation. He raised his head off the floor and spat, and a bright pool of blood instantly stained the carpet beneath him.

_What happened?_ he thought, struggling to his knees. Seeing his hands covered in thick brown fur, with claws the size of machetes growing from them, he froze, blinking in confusion. _I morphed? But, how? I don't remember transforming. The last thing I recall was talking to Uriko, and then..._

He looked up, and his heart stopped.

Uriko was lying just a few feet from him, her once bright eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Or rather, Uriko's _head_ was lying there, looking surprised and a little hurt, as if it couldn't understand why someone would rip it away from it's body. The living room was trashed, and blood was spattered everywhere, indicating the terrible battle that had been fought. Numbly, Kenji looked past the mangled form of his girlfriend and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Yugo, or what was left of him, lay crumpled on the couch, an arm flung over his face like he was sleeping. His chest had been smashed in, and shards of bone glimmered in the artificial light.

As Kenji began to tremble violently, a shadow fell over him, and an evil chuckle carassed the back of his head. He twisted around to face the mirror version of himself, a red-eyed demon covered in blood, deadly claws slashing down towards his face.

xxxxxxxxxx

Kenji gasped and bolted upright, startling Uriko, who fell backwards with a squeak. Breathing hard, the young man looked around frantically, his heart thudding against his chest, terrified of what he might see. But there was no blood, no ravaged bodies of those he loved scattered over the carpet. He was still on the floor of his living room, which looked the same as it always did, and Uriko was right beside him, looking extremely worried.

"Kenji?"

She reached for him, and he jumped back from her as if stung.

"Stay away from me!" he panted, scrambling to his feet and backing away towards the door. Uriko stared at him, wide-eyed in shock, and took a hesitant step forward. Kenji hit the door and groped for the knob, baring his teeth in a feral warning. "No! Keep back, Uriko! Don't come any closer."

"Kenji, wait! Where are you going?"

He didn't answer. All he could think about was putting enough distance between himself and Uriko to keep her safe; keep her away from the demon inside him. The image of her head, lying there on the living room floor, swam before his eyes and made him want to vomit. He was going crazy, he knew, and he would not drag her down with him, into his pit of darkness and blood. Wrenching open the door, the panicked young man fled into the street.

He didn't even know where he was going; his body just shifted into autopilot, while his mind replayed images of that horrible vision, over and over again, until he wanted to scream. When he came to himself once more, he was on the rooftop of an old, abandoned tower, standing next to one of several gargoyles, gazing down on the city. It was one of his favorite places to come and think; high, lonely and isolated, with only birds and stone monsters for company. Where you could gaze down on the city, so far beneath you, and get a perspective on things.

How long he stayed there, he couldn't recall. He did remember glancing up and seeing a full red moon hanging directly in front of him, like some evil crimson eye. He shivered, turning away from it's terrible scrutiny. Maybe he could stay here forever, he mused bitterly. Maybe it was better for everyone that he stay far, far away, watching the city but not being a part of it, like the gargoyles that shared the ledge with him. Like that classic french novel, where that grotesquely deformed man lived in a church belfry all his life, and only emerged into the sunlight once. But that one time was his undoing. He was immedietely condemned for what he was.

_A monster,_ Kenji thought, gazing back at that strange blood moon, feeling the hairs rise along the nape of his neck. _Like me, except the monster is inside. _

There was a creak on the stairs behind him, the lightest of padded feet over the ground. Kenji didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "How did you find me, Riko?"

"You're the one who showed me this place," came the throaty voice of his girlfriend in beast mode. Her voice shook as she edged closer, whether it was from fear or cold, he couldn't tell. "Kenji? Come on, let's go home. Its freezing, and Yugo is worried about you." When he didn't move, he heard her shuffle closer. "Kenji," she repeated, her voice choked with fear. "Would you look at me, please? You....you're not going to do something stupid like jump of the building, right?"

He didn't answer, suddenly hit with a sense of despair too deep for words. _Oh, Riko. If only you could understand; I'd do this all for you._ Closing his eyes, he inched closer to the edge, letting the wind buffet his hair and clothes. _Can you fly, Bakuryu? _he thought, raising his arms to embrace the wind. _I could end it all right here; it would be so easy. All I have to do is let myself fall..._

The next thing he knew, he was grabbed from behind, his arms pinned to his sides, as Uriko crushed the air from his lungs in a desperate hug. With a startled grunt, he staggered back from the edge, held in a grip of steel, Uriko's claws tangled in his jacket sleeves. He could feel them lightly pricking his skin.

"If you jump, you're gonna have to take me with you!" she cried, her face pressed into his back, holding onto him for dear life. In half-beast form, the only way to break her grip would be to morph, and Kenji had sworn never to fight her in beast form again. Besides, with the way his lungs were screaming for oxeygon, a few more minutes of this and he would probably faint from lack of air.

"Riko," he gritted out, "I can't breathe."

"I'm not letting you go unless you swear you won't jump!" came Uriko's immediete reply, tightening her hold even further. Kenji would've sighed, if he had the breath. The moment was gone. He didn't think he could summon the strength to take the leap now.

"I'm not going to jump, Uriko. Will you please let me go?" _Before I pass out?_

Her grip didn't relent. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Her death grip loosened, and he drew in a much needed breath. She didn't completely release him, however, holding him captive in the circle of her arms. A half-hearted attempt to free himself resulted in her clamping onto him stubbornly, with a growl that sounded fairly serious, so he stopped trying.

"Riko? Really, I won't jump, I swear. Seriously, I don't think I could have in the first place." Her arms didn't relent an inch, but he felt her start to tremble against him. "What....what's wrong?"

"_What's wrong? _Damn you, Kenji!" she yelled, startling him with her vehemence. "Why do you keep doing this to me? Do you know what I go through every time you pull a stupid stunt like this? Do you even care?" She was shaking violently now, and Kenji hung his head. She was right. He was being unnaccountably selfish every time he let his fear and despair take over. _I just wanted to protect you,_ he thought, _but, I guess I was taking the coward's way out. _He sighed._ I'm sorry, Uriko. I never wanted to hurt you. I should've told you everything from the beginning._

Uriko sniffed and pressed her face into his back. "God, Kenji. I love you so much. I don't think I could keep going if you die on me." Kenji's heart did a backflip; even after all this time, to hear her say it still surprised him. Uriko's rigid posture drooped, and she faded back into human form, her voice going soft with resignation. "I thought I would be enough to keep you here, but I guess I'm just fooling myself..."

"No, Riko." Kenji tried to turn around and succeeded this time, as Uriko dropped her arms in defeat. "You....you're the only thing that keeps me here sometimes. I'm sorry. I know I screw up, and I know I make you worry about me. But, I do love you." He stepped closer and took one of her small hands in his. "If you believe anything I've told you, believe that. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Uriko's eyes shone with unshed tears. "Then, why do you keep trying to go off and leave me?"

Even now, Kenji hesitated. _Tell her,_ his inner voice urged. _She deserves an answer. She needs to know the killer still inside your head. You owe her that much, at least._

"Listen, Uriko....I...."

_"Boy,"_ hissed a familiar, hated voice in his head. _"If you tell this girl anything about me, she will die, by your hands, in the most painful way possible! That little nightmare you had? Only the beginning. I make you a promise of it."_

"Kenji?" Uriko whispered, as his face turned a ghostly shade of white. "What is it? What's wrong with you?" He closed his eyes, and felt her hands frame the sides of his face. "Please, Kenji, will you just tell me already? I can't bear seeing you like this. Just tell me."

_No,_ he decided, and at that moment, something inside him snapped. _Forgive me, Uriko. But this has gone far enough. _He shivered then, realizing what he had to do, for all their sakes._ Busuzima, you bastard. I swore I'd never be your guinea pig again, but I have no choice. I can't let Bakuryu threaten my family. No matter what the price, if I have to sell my soul to the devil, I am going to get rid of him once and for all!_

"Riko," he murmured, opening his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. Her large, liquid eyes glimmered in the moonlight; he could see himself reflected in those dark orbs. "Do you trust me?"

She blinked, frowning slightly in confusion. "O-of course, Kenji. Why?"

"Then, will you trust me now?" he continued in a low whisper, rubbing his thumb over her cheek, memorizing ever nuance of her lovely face. "There's something I have to take care of now, something I have to do alone. Even if I don't come back for awhile, will you still trust me to do the right thing?"

Her face paled. "What are you talking abou--?"

"Uriko..."

He barely whispered her name, but something in his voice made her pause. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the tears that threatened to spill finally ran down her cheeks. Kenji's heart twisted painfully, but his mind was made up. Now that he was finally resolved, his conscience was clear; there was no turning back. Opening her eyes again, Uriko looked directly into his face.

"I....I trust you, Kenji. Always."

He smiled at her gently. "Tell Yugo not to worry," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her tear streaked face. "Look after him while I'm gone, okay? And, inform Gado that I'm still very much a member of NGO, even if I have gone AWOL."

"I will."

"After this, I'll probably be scrubbing toilets for a month," he joked, trying to be cheerful, for both their sakes. But Uriko's lip trembled, and she threw her arms around him with a sob, hugging him with a desperate strength. Kenji clutched her to him tightly, burying his face in her hair, trying not to think that this could be the last time.

"You're coming back, right?" she wailed softly into his chest. "You won't leave me alone, will you?"

"I'm coming back," he assured. "And when I do, I'll never leave you again." He took a deep breath. "But, Riko, you have to promise me something."

Uriko craned her neck up to look at him.

Kenji bit back a sigh. He wished he didn't have to say this, but he to be sure. He didn't want to leave her unprepared. "If....if I ever turn into Bakuryu again," he began haltingly, and her eyes widened at his alter ego's name, "I don't want you to show any mercy. Just, take him out...permanently. Promise me you won't hesitate if it comes to that, Uriko."

Uriko shook her head frantically. "I couldn't," she whispered. "I....no! I couldn't, Kenji. I'll promise you anything but that."

"Uriko--"

"No!" Burying her face in his chest again, she shook with unshed tears. "How can you ask me to kill you? Would you be able to do it, if I turned back into that mutant demon thing?"

"It would be different, then." Cupping her chin, he gently tipped her face up to his. "Riko, if Bakuryu returns, it means...." He hesitated, then sighed heavily. "It means that I don't exist any longer. If Bakuryu comes back, Kenji Ohagami is already dead."

"You won't die," Uriko whispered feircely. Her eyes gleamed as she met his startled gaze. "He can't beat you. You're stronger than him. You've always been stronger than him."

"I wish....I could believe that."

"You are," Uriko repeated, touching the side of his face. "I have so much faith in you, Kenji. Which is why I'll wait. I'll wait for you to come back to me. If this is something you've gotta do, then you have to face it head on. But, I'll be waiting when you get back, so don't be too long, okay?" She summoned a shaky grin, and brushed away the single tear that had rolled down his cheek. "I love you, Mole-boy. Don't ever forget that."

He kissed her. Not the slow, gentle kisses when they were alone, or the quick pecks whenever they met or parted company. This was a searing, savage, almost desperate kiss; one that ignited a fire within them both. Uriko's nails dug into his back; her lips parted and Kenji swept his tongue into her mouth. She growled, sounding very much like her cat form, and stabbed her fingers into his thick hair, holding his head still while their tongues danced and sparred. Groaning, Kenji slipped his arms around her waist, trying to pull her even more tightly to him, to mold her into himself so that they would become one, body and soul, and never have to part.

Reluctantly, and only for lack of air, they drew back a few inches, still clinging to one another desperately. Both were panting, shaking with the emotions tearing through them, neither willing to draw away. Uriko's arms were wrapped around his neck; he could feel her heart thudding against his chest, echoing the thunderous rythem of his own.

Finally, Kenji broke away, taking a last, final look at his girlfriend, memorizing her face, her slender body, every inch of her. She took a deep, steadying breath, biting her lip to keep back the tears, as Kenji began to slip into the shadows.

"I love you," he mouthed, not trusting his voice at the moment. She smiled bravely and raised her hand in farewell.

"Hurry back," she whispered. He nodded, once.

And then he was gone.


	5. Between Darkness and Light

Don't own Bloody Roar...yada yada. Hi again, I'm back. Again, I can't thank my reviewers enough. The last one finally convinced me to get off my lazy butt and start writing already. So, anyway, here we go. This is for all the Mole-boy lovers like me.

Chapter Four: Between Darkness and Light

The abandoned factory stood at the edge of the docks, a huge eyesore of rusted metal and graffiti sprayed concrete walls. Its windows had been boarded up, and yellow caution tape surrounded the perimeter, warning everyone to stay the hell away. To the untrained eye, it was simply another gutted out building, waiting for the bulldozers and wrecking balls to clear it away.

Kenji's eye was far from untrained. The ninja had already counted three security cameras as he made his way up to the heavy iron doors, and he had evaded the net of tripwires spread over the front walk, just out of habit. It wasn't as if he was deliberately sneaking into the lab; he wanted Busuzima to know he was coming, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep his skills up. Let the scientist know he wasn't out of practice.

He moved quickly, afraid that if he paused to think, he would lose his nerve. A part of him still thought this was crazy, trusting Busuzima, when common sense told him to turn and run in the opposite direction. After all, this was the madman that turned him into a mindless killer in the first place. This was the twisted scientist who used him as his personal guinea pig, who tortured him routinely so that he would know what to expect if he was caught. Beatings, electric shock, and mind-altering drugs were all part of his arsenal, as well as the brainwashing that destroyed whatever feeling was left.

_Stop it,_ Kenji told himself, as his resolve began to waver, remembering the nights he was so sore from Busuzima's "teachings" he could barely move. _This isn't about you anymore. This is for Uriko. _He paused at the heavy iron doors, noting the camera that whirled around to eye him dubiously. _Well, Kenji. This is it. There's no turning back now._

Before he could even knock, however, the doors swung slowly open with a loud groan. Kenji took a deep breath and walked into the waiting darkness.

"_Hee hee heeeeee_." The amplified giggle came from all around him, though the inside of the building looked completely abandoned. The ninja slitted his eyes and dropped into a defensive crouch. "_Welcome to my lab, Bakuryu. I knew you'd come eventually_."

"Don't call me that," Kenji said, his voice icy. Half expecting a trap, he crept further into the warehouse, scanning the room for hidden attackers.

"Where are you, Busuzima? Why don't you show yourself, if this isn't another one of your ruses. Or are you afraid of your former guinea pig?"

_"Afraid? Ha ha ha ha! Don't flatter yourself, boy. I am merely cautious. For all I know, you're planning to murder poor old Busuzima as soon as he shows his face. Once a killer, always a killer, you know."_

_I'm not a killer,_ Kenji wanted to say, but the words stuck in his throat. That was why he was here, wasn't it? He could deny it all he wanted, but the fact remained; there was a cold hearted assassin living inside his head. "I just want to get rid of Bakuryu permenantly," he confessed, dropping his arms in defeat. "That's all. You promised you could help me, Busuzima. Can you, or is this another one of your manipulations?"

_"Kenji, dear boy, I'm crushed. Everything I've done was all in your best interests."_

"I bet you really believe that," Kenji muttered, clenching his fists. Busuzima snickered.

_"Well, we can keep sparring with each other till we're blue in the face, or we can trust each other long enough to do this." _There was a mechanical whirring sound, and suddenly an elevator door opened on the far wall, the inside lit up with flourecent lights. _"If you're ready, dear boy. Let's get on with it, shall we?"_

Kenji hesitated a moment longer, then shrugged and walked into the elevator. _He's right,_ he thought, leaning against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. _One of us has to start trusting the other or we'll never get anywhere. I only hope I'm doing the right thing._ The doors shut with a hiss, and the compartment began to move. He still couldn't believe he was doing this; only hours ago he had been with Uriko in the comfort of his home.

_Uriko,_ he thought, feeling a sudden wave of sorrow and guilt. _What are you doing now? Sorry I left you to explain things to everyone. What will you tell them when I don't come back tonight?_ He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her lips on his, the scent of her hair, and swallowed the lump in his throat. _I'll be with you again soon, I promise. Hopefully, when this is all over, Bakuryu will finally be gone. I won't have to worry about you or Yugo or anyone else being hurt by him, ever again._

The elevator suddenly jolted to a stop, and Kenji opened his eyes, waiting for the doors to open.

Instead, there was a hissing noise, and a funny smell wafted into the tiny room. Kenji looked up, and his eyes widened in alarm. A white mist was floating in from an air vent, rapidly filling the compartment. Kenji caught a whiff of the gas, and a wave of dizziness swept over him, making his eyes water and his throat close up. At that second, he knew his worst fears had come true.

"Busuzima!" he yelled, throwing himself at the elevator doors, which were thick and stayed tightly shut. "You bastard! I trusted you!"

_"Hee hee hee. Sorry, dear boy. But I just can't let Bakuryu go. He is my greatest creation after all."_

Kenji dropped to his knees, fighting to stay upright, as his vision blurred and the room began to spin. "I'll never cooperate," he panted through clenched teeth. "I'll fight you....with everything I have. You won't bring _him_ back again...I swear...."

Busuzima said something else, something garbled and unintellegable; Kenji was too dizzy and sick to hear what. He felt his body slump to the tiles, unable to hold itself up. And, through his fuzzy, fading consciousness, he thought he heard Bakuryu's cold laughter ringing in his ears.

_Uriko,_ was his last thought, before plunging headlong into blackness. _Forgive me._

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Uriko stared out the window listlessly. The stars winked and sparkled like so many diamonds, but gave her no comfort. Not even the thought that Kenji was somewhere underneath those same stars could make her feel any better tonight.

"Its been two months," she whispered, biting her lip to keep from crying, again. "Kenji, where _are_ you?"

Downstairs, Alice and Yugo were watching a movie. Some sort of comedy, but Yugo rarely laughed anymore. At first, Yugo was furious at her for letting Kenji go off somewhere by himself, and even more angry that she wouldn't tell him where. It had put a real wedge between him and Alice, and for awhile they even considered splitting up. Uriko was truly sorry that Yugo was suffering, and eaten up with guilt that she had been the one to nearly cause their breakup, but she had made a promise too. Yugo had finally forgiven her, but she was still too ashamed to be around him much; that and his presence constantly reminded her of Kenji.

Uriko wrenched herself away from the window and crawled under the covers of her bed. She felt so empty with him gone; there was this hollow ache inside her that would not go away, only lessening in her dreams. It was made worse by not knowing where he was, what had happened to him, when he was going to come back. If he would come back at all...

_Stop it,_ she told herself, as tears threatened to spill once more. _He's coming back. He promised he would. He WILL come back. I believe in you, Kenji._

She fell asleep, and was plagued by a nightmare so vivid she would never forget it. In her dreams, Kenji was chained to a wall, hanging limply from manacled wrists. His eyes were closed, and dark blood pumped sluggishly from numerous wounds across his chest. She gasped, wanting to run to him, but her body would not move. She could only stand there, trembling, watching the boy she loved bleed his life out onto the cold tile floor.

_Kenji,_ she whispered in her mind, calling out to him with all her strength. _Kenji, open your eyes. Please open your eyes. Don't be dead. You can't be! Please, please, open your eyes._

His eyes opened, glazed and unfocused, but he raised his head and looked at her. _"Uriko?"_

Uriko's heart soared, but the image was already going dark, like a television screen fading to black. _I'm here!_ she tried to call to him. _Kenji, I'm right here! I love you! Don't give up!_

The dream faded, and Uriko woke up sobbing so violently Alice rushed in to calm her.

But, the next morning, Uriko did not come down for breakfast, and when Alice went up to investigate, she found a note on her sister's bed.

_Dear Sis, Yugo, and everyone. Gone to look for Kenji. Sorry, but I have to find him. Love you all. Sorry again for all the trouble I've caused. Love, Riko. _

That night, after a fruitless search, Yugo and Alice held each other in the lonely solitude of the living room. Now, both of them had lost a younger sibling. Now, the silence of their homes was especially cold, without the quiet presence of a young man, or the cheerful chatter of his girlfriend. For the two guardians left behind, life was suddenly very empty and bleak.

"They'll be all right," Yugo whispered finally, hating the tremor in his voice. "Those two are like the opposite ends of a magnet; they'll find each other eventually."

Alice only nodded into his chest. Yugo sighed, hoping Uriko's spunk and sheer determination would succeed in finding the boy she loved so much. For both their sakes. Kenji was his family, but he couldn't deny the bond his brother shared with Alice Nonomura's kooky little sister. One wouldn't have expected it in a million years; that two people as different as night and day--one dark and introspective, one bright and more outgoing than a Golden Retriever--could find something so special. Yet, somehow, they both fit each other perfectly.

Uriko had saved Kenji once before; Yugo prayed she would be able to do it again.

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Kenji coughed, spat blood, and opened his eyes.

Busuzima stood before him, grinning in that maniacal way of his, some kind of sharp instrament in his hand. A knife or razor of some sort, designed to hurt him and make him bleed. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. Looking down, Kenji saw his blood spattered over the floor and drying in large welts over his skin. He felt weak and dizzy, and it seemed he was losing his mind, too. He was almost positive Uriko had been here, just a few moments ago. He thought he had heard her voice, calling to him, telling him not to give up....

"How are you feeling today, Kenji dear?" Busuzima's voice was high and mocking. At least he wasn't calling him Bakuryu anymore. He wondered why that was. The mad scientist hadn't even tried to brainwash him in all the days he had been imprisoned. Mostly, he was kept so drugged and weak, he didn't know what Busuzima was doing to his body, but he still retained all his memories. Yugo, home, Alice, NGO, school, Uriko....mostly Uriko. He clung to these memories like a lifeline, desperately afraid that he would start to forget them, but so far, he was still the same person that had walked so stupidly into Busuzima's trap that night.

"What do you want this time, you bastard?" he rasped, determined not to show weakness to Busuzima if he could help it. The scientist giggled and did a ridiculous little dance in front of him, before slamming a fist into his stomach. "Don't be rude," he admonished, wagging a finger in his face. Kenji coughed and gasped, sagging against his chains, as Busuzima stood back and grinned at him.

"Congratulate me," the scientist announced, striking a pose, looking like he was about to accept the nobel prize. Kenji simply stared at him, thinking Busuzima had only gotten more crazy as time went on. At his continued silence, Busuzima clucked his tongue at him and shook his head.

"Hmph, I would've thought you'd be pleased, Kenji my boy. All that blood and hair and flesh I took from you has finally paid off. You didn't think I was slicing you to pieces for no reason, did you?"

"Yeah, that was my impression," Kenji managed. Busuzima was beginning to scare him. He had something up his sleeve, and he didn't like it. "I thought that just came with the mad scientist territory. Though you aren't as creative as you used to be."

"Well, that just shows how wrong you were," Busuzima sniffed, tapping him on the nose. "But, it doesnt' matter. After today, we won't need you anymore." He regarded him cooly, with a glint in his eyes that Kenji didn't like at all. "Remember when I said I could free you from Bakuryu? I wasn't lying, Kenji dear."

Kenji's heart did a weird little flip, and he looked up, trying to focus through the weakness and pain. "What....what are you talking about?"

Busuzima looked positively smug. "Kenji Ohgami," he said grandly, and Kenji felt a chill run up his back, "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Or, have you two already met?" He motioned someone forward, and out of the shadows stepped a very familiar figure, grinning demonically as he came into the light. Kenji froze, as his world collapsed around him.

"Hello Kenji," Bakuryu purred. "How are things on this side of the mirror?"


	6. The Dark Half

Well, I'm back. And I still don't own Bloody Roar. Hmm, I wonder if Hudson will accept a lifetime supply of crushed Mountain Dew cans as a trade off for Bloody Roar? Or at the very least, Kenji and Uriko. You think? Maybe? Didn't think so.

Phooey.

The Assassin's Shadow

Chapter Six: The Dark Half

Frozen in horrifed disbelief, Kenji stared at the living, breathing, darkest version of himself. This couldn't be real. He was hallucinating again, or having a really screwed up dream. At least, he hoped it was merely a nightmare. Because, if it was real, he couldn't begin to imagine what this would mean for him, and the people he loved.

Bakuryu grinned, that cold familiar smirk Kenji despised so much, and punched him in the face. The pain was magnificent; Kenji tasted blood, and the force of the blow shattered any hope that this could be his imagination. No, this wasn't a dream, this was real; the agony resounding through his head destroyed any hope of that.

"You're not dreaming," Bakuryu stated, in a voice of eerie calm. Kenji felt the shiver all the way down his spine. They were so alike, in mind as well as physical stature. Bakuryu knew what he was thinking, because he _was_ him. But, he wasn't supposed to be here, "on this side of the mirror," as he so eloquently put it. What was going on?

"Busuzima," he rasped, trying to collect his thoughts through the dizziness in his skull, "what have you done?"

"Simple, Kenji dear. I've made a clone. After all, you two are the same person, and Bakuryu was only too happy to have his own body returned to him. Now, the two of you are truly separated, in body and mind, forever. I have my assassin back, and you are finally free. Though I doubt you'll live much longer." Busuzima grinned evilly, and Bakuryu smiled. "So, enjoy it while you can."

"Well," he added cheerfully, rubbing his hands together. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about. Bakuryu, when you dispose of the body, use the back door, if you would. I'm afraid I've grown rather fond of the boy; I'd rather not see what you've done to him."

"As you wish, master."

"Well, Kenji dear, I'm afraid this is goodbye. I've promised your fate to Bakuryu, so I doubt I'll be seeing you again." Busuzima sniffed, and in a rare show of affection, patted Kenji on the head. "Have a good afterlife, my boy." He started to leave, but at the door he turned, smacking himself on the forehead. "Oh, and I almost forgot: happy _real_ birthday. To both of you. Heeheehee."

He smiled a proud, watery smile, and sauntered out. The heavy iron door clanged as it shut behind him, and Kenji was alone with Bakuryu.

The teenager fought the despair crushing his soul to oblivion, and raised his head to meet Bakuryu's empty gaze head on. "Do your worst," he challenged.

One corner of the dark ninja's mouth lifted in a chilling smirk. "I will," he promised. "But not now. You've caused me a great deal of trouble, Kenji Ohgami, and I'm going to make you pay. Master has left your life in my hands, and I am going to make the rest of it as miserable as possible."

Kenji managed a hoarse chuckle. "If you can be as creative as Busuzima when it comes to torture, I'll be surprised."

"Oh, I'm not going to touch your body. Not yet, anyway. I want you to heal. Because, I'm going to face you one-on-one when you're fully prepared, and then we will see who truly deserves the title of Bakuryu. I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart, peice by peice. Until then, there are other ways to break you." Bakuryu stepped back and sneered. "Starting with that little girlfriend of yours."

Kenji felt a fist of ice plunge into his stomach, leaving him breathless and horrified. "You stay away from Uriko!" he snarled, lunging at his twin with a surge of hatred he had never felt before. The chains yanked him up short, and Kenji strained against his bonds, the tendons in his arms standing out, as he sought to reach the smirking face before him.

Bakuryu laughed, a cold, cruel sound. "What shall I tell her when I see her?" he taunted, as Kenji continued to fight the unyeilding chains, panting and glaring at his enemy. "Shall I crush her hopes and dreams, before I crush her delicate little body? Should I pretend to be you, only to stab her in the back when she feels secure? How long should I continue the game, Kenji? Perhaps you can tell me."

Kenji sagged against the wall, defeated. He had never felt so helpless in his life. "Bakuryu," he whispered, closing his eyes, "what do you want from me? I'll do anything, if you promise to leave Uriko and my family alone."

There was pressure on his neck, and he opened his eyes to see Bakuryu had him by the throat, pushing his head back into the wall. "I want you to bleed," the dark assassin whispered, his face very close to Kenji's. "I want your soul to bleed away and die. I want you to feel the same emptiness that I felt, trapped inside your head. And I want you to know the despair that comes from watching all that you care for ripped away in front of your eyes. I promised I would make you suffer, Kenji. And I always keep my promises."

Bakuryu released him and stepped back. There was no smirk on his face now. There was nothing but cold emptiness. "I'm off to meet your sweetheart," he said in a voice that was so completely dead of emotion, it sent a chill down Kenji's spine. "When I come back, I'll let you say goodbye...to her head. You're welcome to stop me, if you can." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Kenji to stare after him helplessly.

The teenager yanked desperately at his chains, but he was weak from pain, blood loss, and the drugs Busuzima kept pumping into his system. _If only I could morph,_ he thought, but powerful sedatives prevented him from changing into his beast form, and he didn't have the energy for the transformation.

There _was_ another way to change, however. When their human body took _so_ much damage, the zoanthrope metabolism took over and transformed them automatically. It was a last ditch effort of self-preservation, which was why it was so difficult to kill a zoanthrope. When close to death, their healing and adrenaline kicked into high gear, often causing the host to beserk, entering the famed and deadly "hyperbeast mode." Kenji had been in hyperbeast mode only once before, when fighting a lunatic zoanthrope named Xion, who was just as fast as himself, and whose other form was a lethal combination of praying mantis and space alien. Kenji remembered the raw, wild power tearing through his body when he entered hyperbeast; he remembered losing himself in a whirlwind of emotion, and the numbing exhaution he felt when it was over. He never wanted to experience anything like that again, that horrible feeling of losing all control, being swept along in a storm of fear and rage. But to protect one's family, sacrifices were sometimes called for. Realizing what had to be done, Kenji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Busuzima! You slimy, lying, forked tongued bastard! Get in here! I want to talk to you!"

There was no answer at first, so Kenji tried again. He yelled for the scientist several more times, before the door finally clanged open and Busuzima stood there, one hand on his hip, the other holding what looked like a vial of blood.

"You're certainly noisy for someone at death's door," the scientist remarked, mildly annoyed. Gazing around, he wrinkled his nose and sniffed. "Where is Bakuryu? I thought he wanted to do the honors."

"He changed his mind," Kenji said, with every ounce of insolence he could muster. "Said he didn't want to clean up after your little toys, since you're too much of a coward to do it yourself." Curling his lip in a very Bakuryu-like fashion, he added: "but then, I could have told him that."

"Cowardly, am I?" Putting down the vial, Busuzima stalked into the room. "Don't tempt me, dear boy, or I might finish Bakuryu's job after all."

"You? Don't make me laugh. You don't have the guts." Kenji sneered at the scientist's shocked expression. "That's why you've been after Bakuryu all this time; he's your little attack dog to off the people you don't have the balls to do yourself. You're"

He got no further, as Busuzima struck him a savage blow to the head with his long, windmilling arms. "Kenji dear, don't think that because I promised you to Bakuryu, I won't silence you myself," Busuzima warned with a silky, dangerous smile. "If I decide to kill you right in front of him, that's my business, and he will stand there and take it like a good boy. I am the master here, therefore I can do whatever I want. So, shut up before I crack open your hard little head and see what your brains look like."

Kenji's head was reeling. Busuzima could hit _hard._ But then, he wasn't just a creepy scientist, he was a zoanthrope, and he knew how to fight just like the rest of them. Kenji wished he could take the scientist's advice and shut up. This wasn't his style; it felt weird and awkward deliberately goading someone into a rage, and he was forcing himself to continue the chain of insults. But, continue he did, despite the strangeness of it all. Uriko was counting on him.

"You've gotten soft in your old age, Busu," Kenji went on, inwardly steeling himself for the hurt he knew was coming. "You call that little tap a punch? I didn't even feel it." He grunted as Busuzima kneed him in the stomach, biting back a gasp of pain.

"Shut up!" Busuzima snarled. "I'm warning you, boy..." His face now was very red. Kenji forced a smirk and continued.

"Pathetic," he sneered. "You're pathetic, Busu. Look at you; hiding out in this dump of a warehouse, afraid to show your face aboveground. You're nothing but a bullying, dim-witted, ugly freak of nature. I should have killed you two years ago; if you weren't such a cowardly sneak, I would have!"

"That's it!" Busuzima shrieked. Whirling, he stalked to the back of the room, reached beneath a counter and came up with, of all things, a baseball bat. Kenji's blood ran cold, and he took a deep breath to stop the violent trembling.

"Freak of nature, am I?" Busuzima screamed, brandishing the metal bat so it whuffed savagely through the air. "When I'm done with you, boy, we'll see who the freak of nature is!"

He charged, swinging the weapon in a vicious arc like he was hitting a baseball. Kenji braced himself as the bat smashed into his ribs with the force of a frieght train, taking his breath away. He heard a sickening crack, and couldn't hold back a howl of agony, as pain turned his world black for just a second. Dimly, he was aware of Busuzima raising the club for a second blow, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. There was a roaring in his ears, a terrible pressure building in his chest. He lost track of how many times Busuzima hit him, his body jolting under the metal club. The scientist was screeching at him now, seeming to have gone completely insane. He couldn't talk, couldn't breathe, and for a moment, wondered if he was dying.

Then, the pressure erupted, and with a roar, Kenji was engulfed with power.

The iron manacles snapped and burst open, unable to hold the violent transformation, as the teenager erupted into a broad shouldered creature with dark brown fur and enormous slashing claws. With a shriek, Busuzima staggered back, as beady red eyes focused on him and narrowed, recognizing the source of it's torment.

"Oh, shi" was all Busuzima got out, before two nasty, claw tipped hands slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards into the wall. Bouncing to his feet, the scientist immedietely morphed into a seven-foot blue chameleon, who towered over his dark furred opponent. The lizard rose to his full imposing height, and abruptly disappeared.

Curling his lip, the mole darted forward, exhilerated at the rush of power coursing through his veins. His enemy had disappeared, but he didn't stop. He knew that trick, and slashed his claws at the place where the chameleon had vanished. There was a shriek, and a dark spray of blood.

A long red tongue appeared from nowhere, coiling around his leg. The mole was yanked off his feet and tossed through the air, crashing into a table, scattering vials and glass beakers to the floor. With a raspy snarl, he lunged to his feet, rage flooding through him like liquid fire, searching for his enemy.

A fist whipped through the air, directly for his face, and he blocked instinctively, feeling the crushing impact jar his bones. A second blow followed the first, but this time, it struck nothing but a cloud of smoke, passing through the wispy barrier and finding nothing but air.

Shrieking his hate, the mole dropped onto the chameleon from above, landing on the lizard's back and ripping into him with his claws. The chameleon flailed wildly, trying to dislodge his vengeful passanger, but the mole clung to him like a tick, while dark lizard blood spattered the floor and the walls. The chameleon was finally able to shake him off by falling backwards, intending to crush him with the weight of his body. But the mole vaulted off his enemy and landed on his feet a few yards away.

As soon as he hit the ground, the mole darted forward again, striking his opponent before he could regain his balance. The chameleon reeled back, and found himself surrounded in a ring of fire. He writhed in pain as flames roared around him, and was suddenly hit in two places at once, as if his opponent had split himself and attacked from either side. This final blow was too much. With a final screech, the chameleon fell, returning to Busuzima as he collapsed, barely conscious, on the cold stone floor.

Victorious, the mole was about to pounce on his prone enemy and rip him to shreds, when the hyperbeast mode abruptly wore off and with it, the adrenaline that had been keeping Kenji upright for most of the battle. Morphing back, his legs buckled under him and he sank to the floor, panting and gritting his teeth against the renewed agony resonating through his entire being. He was so drained he could barely move, the price you paid for Hyperbeast, and every muscle in his body screamed with the slightest movement.

_But, I'm free._ Glancing down at his wrists, Kenji winced at how raw and chafed they were, hanging from cruel manacles the past two months. _Two months_, he thought with a grimace._ God, Yugo must be worried sick. Uriko...have you given up on me?_

The thought of Uriko sent him into a near panic. _Riko! I can't let that demon get to you! Please be all right! Please don't let me be too late._ He struggled to his feet, biting his lip at the flare of pain, when he suddenly remembered Busuzima, lying where he had fallen. And, for a moment he paused, oddly torn, fighting a war within himself.

_I should kill him,_ Kenji thought, that cold knot of hatred for his former master uncoiling with startling vehemence. _He causes nothing but pain. His cruel experemints are a bane to humans and zoanthropes alike. Why shouldn't I kill him here? It would be so easy, and no one would ever know..._

But then, he sighed, as Uriko's face swam before him, her beautiful eyes gazing into his so trustingly. _I would know. And, Uriko would know. I could never hide this from her._ He sighed again, raking his fingers through his filthy bangs._ I'm not Bakuryu. I'm not a cold blooded killer. I'm...just me. Kenji Ohgami. And that is enough. _Glancing down at the scientist, he found he could look at him without rage; he could finally release the dark hatred clutching at his heart.

"I'm not Bakuryu," he whispered to the half charred lump on the ground. Pale eyes stared at him blearily, as the scientist tried to move, whimpering in pain. Kenji turned away, not even looking at him, though his voice became stronger with every word. "You are not important to me anymore. When I leave this place, I will never think of you again. But, if you ever come near me or my family, I will make sure you die. That is a promise."

Holding his head high, Kenji turned and left the room, pushing his broken body on strength of will alone. Busuzima might have called out to him, but he didn't care. He did not stop, and he did not look back. His only thought now was getting to Uriko.

Before his twin did.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wow, this story is almost done. What a shock! Again, I'm ever so thankful for all you wonderful reviewers out there. You guys are the greatest. Thanks again!

Ja,

Silverkitsune


	7. Shards of the Soul

Urg. Well, I _thought_ this was the end. Unfortunately, there seems to be one more chapter after this. Ah well. Hope you enjoy the almost conclusion anyway. Arigatou!

Assassin's Shadow

Chapter seven: Shards of the Soul

Uriko crept down another nondescript backalley in the pouring rain, flinching as lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled overhead. She hated rain. She hated being cold, chilled and sodden. Kenji teased her about it sometimes, making reference to her feline half-beast mode, but she couldn't help it. Thunderstorms were the perfect time to curl up in bed with a book, or on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa and a significant other. It was _not_ the perfect time to go traipsing around in the rain, getting wet and cold and risking pneumonia, no matter how much _Kenji _insisted it was an invigorating experience. She _had_ tried it once before, giving into her boyfriend's pleas of going for a quick run in the middle of a storm. She'd ended up catching the flu, and though it was fun having Kenji wait on her hand and foot in apology, she hadn't been eager to try it again.

Thinking of Kenji made her throat close up, as tears pressed stubbornly behind her eyes, mingling with the rain. He was the reason she was out here, risking cold and flu and pneumonia, as well as the predators of the night. Sickness wasn't the only thing to worry about, in this city that hid creatures like Shen Long and Busuzima. But she didn't care about the danger, or the discomfort, if it meant finding him. He was worth any price she had to pay. For Kenji, she would risk everything.

She shivered as she crept along a brick wall, seeing dark shapes huddled around a lamppost on the other side of the street. This was definately the seedier side of town, and she could feel hungry eyes on her as she made her way down trash strewn sidewalks, willing herself not to trasform, not yet. Scurrying past an empty basketball court, she darted under a highway bridge and leaned against the graffiti spattered wall, grateful to be out of the rain, if only for a moment.

"Hey, kiddo. Whatcha doin' out here all alone? Ain't it past your bedtime?"

Uriko jumped and cringed back, realizing she wasn't the only one there. A young man crouched there in the shadows, watching her with strange bright eyes. He wore black jeans and no shirt, and his spiky hair was a silver that reminded her distubingly of Xion.

He grinned. "Aw, don't look so scared, princess. I'm not gonna eat you. Unless, you want me too, of course."

"Try it, and you'll be brushing your teeth through the back of your skull!" Uriko countered, raising her fists. The silver haired man laughed, rising to his feet with all the grace of a jungle cat.

"You sure, baby girl? You never know; you might enjoy it..."

"And you might enjoy eating pavement," Uriko snarled, crouching down for a fight. She felt the beast rage rise up in her, and her muscles coiled under her skin. If he took one step toward her, he would get a faceful of screeching, slashing, snarling half-beast, who would rip that arrogant smirk right off his lips. But, the man raised his hands in mock surrender and took a step back.

"Relax, princess. I've got better things to do than play around with a half-grown kitten in the rain. You'd better be careful, though. There are more dangerous things than me out tonight. Take my advice and go home. It ain't a good night for kittens to be wandering about." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and strode off into the shadows. Uriko could see the dark lines of a tattoo spread across his back as he walked away, some kind of celtic design, she thought. Then, there was a blinding flash of lightning, and she couldn't see him anymore.

Uriko shivered. "Creepy," she muttered to herself. "What a weirdo. Well, I guess I'd better keep going." Gazing mournfully into the rain, she took a deep breath, steeling herself to venture out into it again.

There was a tingle at the base of her neck, a sort of warning prickle she only felt in cat form, when something was approaching her from behind. Whirling around, she peered into the storm, and her heart leaped to her throat.

There was a figure coming toward her, blurry and unidentifiable in the rain. He moved with a slow, halting step, staggering as if hurt, but she knew who it was. Beyond any doubt. Her heart only reacted this way to one person.

"Kenji!" she shrieked, dashing up to him, heedless of the water pouring down. She couldn't believe it, but there he was; looking ragged, exhausted, and waterlogged, but alive! He raised his head at her scream, and she saw the gleam of his grey eyes, before she flung herself into his arms.

"Kenji!" she sobbed, burying her face in his chest, hugging him with desperate strength. His arms encircled her, strong and real and alive. She almost fainted with happiness. "You're back. It's really you." Pulling away suddenly, she glared at him, fear and relief raging inside her like a whirlwind. "You...you _baka_!" she cried, punching him in the shoulder. He flinched, but took it without expression. "I thought I lost you. If you ever pull something like this again, I'll...I'll smack you senseless!"

"Uriko," he murmured, as those strong arms wrapped around her again, crushing her close to him. "Uriko, I'm so sorry. I've been gone so long; please forgive me. What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you!" Uriko answered, laughing and crying at the same time. "I couldn't take it anymore, wondering where you were, so I decided to look for you on my own." Kenji's arms tightened, and she buried her face in his chest, soaking up his heat and listening to the steady thud of his heart. "I was so worried about you," she whispered at last. Where have you been?"

"Uriko, listen," Kenji muttered, pulling back to look her in the eye. "We have to get home. Busuzima's made a clone of me; an evil Kenji who's bent on killing everyone I know, you included. We have to warn everyone." Kenji's eyes narrowed, darkening with some intense emotion as he stared at her. "I won't lose you," he swore. "Not to him."

"You're not going to lose me," Uriko promised, smiling up at him. She was so happy and relieved, she barely heard a word he was saying. "But, you're right; we have to get home. I'm sure Sis is worried sick, and Yugo is going to be so happy to..."

She trailed off when she saw his face, staring at something behind her, and her stomach clenched painfully. She felt the same warning prickle at the nape of her neck, felt the iron hard muscles tighten in Kenji's arms, and spun around.

Her mouth dropped open, and for a moment, nothing made sense. For there was _another_ Kenji standing under the bridge, watching them with hunter like intensity. Uriko blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked behind her to see if she was dreaming. No, there was her Kenji standing next to her, waterlogged and ragged looking, and there was the _other_ Kenji, who was just as drenched and raggedy as the first. She could feel the heat from their gazes sear the air between them, and suddenly felt like she was in the middle of a warzone.

The other Kenji, the one under the bridge, swept a panicked gaze to her and held out his hand. "Riko!" he called. "Get away from him, now! That isn't me. That's Bakuryu!"

"No!" The first Kenji looked at her, frightened and vunerable. His pleading eyes searched her face. "Riko, don't listen to him. This is me. You know it's me, don't you?"

Uriko's mind spun, and she backed a few steps away from him, trying to collect her fractured thoughts. Two Kenjis! And one of them wasn't Kenji at all but Bakuryu, the most dangerous assassin the zoanthrope world had ever known. She looked from one to the other in despair. _I can't tell them apart! _she thought, appalled at herself._ They both look exactly the same!_

"Uriko," the Kenji closest to her was saying. "Look at me." Wrenching her gaze from his twin, she looked him in the eye. "I love you," he murmured, the same, sweet Kenji she had always known. "You've always been there, through everything, even when I was ready to give up. I can't live without you, Uriko. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Uriko's heart twisted. Yes, those were Kenji's words. This had to be _her_ Kenji; Bakuryu would never say something like that. _Unless..._and a little worm of doubt wiggled into her mind, _...unless he's picked something up from Kenji, and is just saying that to lower my guard..._

"Don't listen to him, Riko!" the other Kenji shouted, echoing her thoughts. "Bakuryu knows me! He knows everything I've ever said to you, and he'll use it to get you to trust him."

"Riko," the first Kenji pleaded, "listen to me. I know Bakuryu better than anyone. This is what he does; playing with your emotions, making you doubt your friends and the people you trust the most. Then, he'll stab you in the back when you turn on each other. Don't fall for it. Please. You have to trust me, now."

"Uriko," the other Kenji called, taking a step forward.

"Uriko," the first Kenji echoed at the same time.

Uriko nearly screamed in frustration and despair. "I don't know!" she exploded, burying her face in her hands. "How can I decide which one of you is real? If what you say is true, there's no way I can really tell for sure, can I? Cause Bakuryu knows all the answers Kenji does. So, even if I ask something personal, like: what's my favorite T.V. show..."

"Sailor Moon," both Kenjis said in unison.

"Shut up, both of you! Let me think." Uriko bit her knuckle, wracking her brain for a way to tell them apart. The two Kenjis watched her patiently, their expressions giving nothing away. "You know," she growled, eyeing the both of them, "whichever one of you _is_ Bakuryu, you really suck, playing such a sick little game. I sure hope you're enjoying yourself, you bastard."

"Uriko."

The second Kenji's voice came quietly over the rain, and she turned to glare at him. He blinked at her furious look, but did not glance away.

"Remember what you told me, that night in the lab?" he asked softly, holding her gaze with his own. She frowned, not remembering at first, but then it came to her with a violent jolt. The dream. Impossible as it was, he was talking about her dream. "At first, I thought I was hallucinating, because there was no logical way you could have found Busuzima's hideout. I was hurt so badly, and so out of it, I thought it was a dream at first. But, you _were_ there, weren't you? Somehow. You told me you loved me, and not to give up." Kenji smiled, that faint, gentle smile she adored, and held out his hands. "I'm here because of you, Riko. You saved me, one more time."

"Kenji," Uriko whispered, her eyes swimming with tears. She took a step toward him, but then, with a horrible chill, realized that if this was the _real_ Kenji, then the person at her back must be...

Something hit her in the back, jolting her up on her toes. She heard Kenji scream, and wondered why, until she glanced down and saw four long claws protruding through her stomach. Dazed, she stared at them, wondering why it didn't hurt, vaguely aware that it should. Then, Bakuryu ripped his claws from her stomach, through her back, and pain seemed to explode through her body. She screeched in absolute agony, the high pitched scream of a cat, and fell backwards. She didn't remember hitting the pavement, but suddenly she was lying on her back in the rain, staring up at the sky. Far, far away, someone was calling her name, a familiar, beloved voice. But then darkness closed around her from every side, and she fell into oblivion.

Kenji reached Uriko's body just as the girl, now in half-beast form, slipped into unconsciousness.

"Uriko!" he cried, cradling her limp body in his arms. Blood soaked his sleeves and the remains of his shirt, a horrible dark bloom spreading over her lower chest. "Uriko, stay with me! Hang in there; you can beat this." Trembling with rage and a sick, mind numbing fear, he clutched her tightly, pressing his face to her neck. The pulse was there, faint and irregular, but it was there. Her beast healing had gone into effect the moment she trasformed. Now, Uriko's survival depended on how much energy she had, and her stubborn will to live.

"Don't you die on me," he whispered, his words choked with emotion. Tears started in his eyes, but he pressed them back, trying to will some of his life into her fading body. It was terribly ironic, that only _now_ he should understand what she went through, every time thoughts of suicide crossed his mind. "Please, stay with me, Uriko," he murmured into her neck. "I'll never leave you again. I swear, I won't even think about it. Don't leave me here alone..." His throat closed up, and the words stuck in his throat. The thought of life without his sweet, cheerful, fun loving cat-girl ripped a raw, gaping hole inside him, one he knew would never heal unless she was there. Tears flooded his eyes again, and this time, he let them crawl down his face. "Uriko..."

"Ba...ka..." whispered a faint, pain filled voice above his head. Kenji's heart leaped, and he pulled back to look Uriko in the face. One blue eye was half open, and she glared at him in amused exasperation, despite the agony shining through. "So...all I had to do...was threaten to die...to get you to promise that?"

Relief swelled inside him, and he refrained from hugging her in estatic joy. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, hoping she didn't hate him for being such a stubborn idiot. "Forgive me, Riko."

She wrinkled her nose. "You're forgiven," she murmured in a completely serious voice, "as long as we're done with this "you're better off without me" crap." I need you, Kenji. I...I can't imagine a life without you." She paused for breath, grimacing in pain, and Kenji tightened his hold on her.

"If you die, than my life is over too, you know?" she whispered, echoing the words in Kenji's mind and heart. "If you do decide to leave one day, premature or not, than I'm just going to follow you. 'Cause I love you too much to let you make the journey alone, and besides, you might get lonely on the other side without me."

For a moment, Kenji's throat was too tight with emotion to answer. He swallowed hard and looked her in the eyes. "I promise," he whispered solemly, taking one of her hands in his, "from now on, we do everything together."

Uriko's faint, familiar grin warmed his heart. "I'll hold you do that, Mole-boy," she murmured, right before he kissed her. Her lips were warm and soft, despite the cold. And, for a split second, kneeling in the pouring rain, mud soaking his pants and drenching his clothes, everything was right with the world.

Until Uriko broke away, one hand over his mouth, fingers gently brushing his lips. "Except for this," she said, making him frown in confusion. Her eyes flicked to something off to the side, then back to Kenji, full of anger and regret. "I can't face _him_ with you this time," she whispered. "You'll have to fight him alone."

And Kenji remembered.

Cursing himself for his inattention, he gazed around for the assassin, well aware that Bakuryu could have easily snuck up and stabbed him in the back while he was bent over Uriko. Fortunately, his dark twin seemed to have other ideas. Bakuryu was still standing a few yards away, watching him with a cold smirk on his face. He had morphed out of his mole form, and his arms were folded over his chest, one arm soaked to the elbow in Uriko's blood.

Kenji went very still. Bakuryu grinned at him, a silent challenge. Never taking his gaze from the assassin, he carefully picked up the girl and backed away towards the bridge. Uriko whimpered a bit and clutched his shirt, but didn't cry out as he carried her away. Bakuryu didn't move, though his grin never faded and his eyes followed Kenji under the bridge, where he gently set Uriko down against the wall. For a moment, Kenji took his eyes from the assassin to glance at his beloved, hoping she would be safe here, wishing he could take her farther away from Bakuryu's evil. She was healing rapidly, but if Bakuryu decided to attack her, she was still vunerable.

"Will you be all right?" he asked, if only to reassure himself. Uriko looked at him with gleaming blue eyes, and shot him a fearsome grin.

"Kick his ass for me, Kenji!"

Kenji nodded, a faint smile quirking his mouth. She would be fine. Giving her a quick, final kiss, he turned and walked back through the rain, to where his twin waited for him.

It was time to end this.

So sorry to leave it there! Not to worry though; the next chapter _will_ be the last, I promise. Everyone's been so patient and wonderful, I can't thank you enough. The end is in sight. Just one more to go.

Silverkitsune


End file.
